Voterama in Congress on major issues in the week ending Sept. 16

Published: Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, September 16, 2011 at 5:14 p.m.

Voterama in Congress

Here's how North Carolina members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Sept. 16.

House

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT: Voting 238 for and 186 against, the House on Sept. 15 passed a bill (HR 2587) to amend the National Labor Relations Act in a way that curbs union rights while making it easier for companies to move operations to non-union states. The NLRA was enacted in 1935 to establish and protect the rights of workers to form unions and bargain collectively over pay, benefits and working conditions. This bill gives employers standing to shift facilities to right-to-work states or overseas despite the law's stipulation that such moves cannot be a retaliation against legitimate union activity and can be subjected to collective bargaining. The bill achieves its aim by stripping the National Labor Relations Board of authority to order work restored to union employees in cases where courts rule the employer violated the law in moving work or facilities elsewhere to punish legal union activity.

CHARTER SCHOOLS FUNDING: Voting 365 for and 54 against, the House on Sept. 13 passed a bill (HR 2218) to fund charter schools at $300 million annually through fiscal 2018. The bill would provide grants for operating expenses and to leverage private loans for building or renovating classroom space. The nation's 5,000 charter schools, which educate about 5 percent of the nation's K-12 students, receive public funding but are freed of many of the rules that bind traditional public schools. In return, they are expected to produce superior academic results and show traditional schools a model for improvement.

GREEN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION: Voting 195 for and 220 against, the House on Sept. 13 refused to promote green practices and materials in the building and renovating of charter schools. The non-binding amendment to HR 2218 (above) called upon the Department of Education to give preference to applications from states that use tax incentives and other policies to encourage green construction in school systems.

DEBT-LIMIT REVISITED: By a tally of 232 for and 186 against, members on Sept. 14 voted to rescind some of the new U.S. borrowing authority that Congress and President Obama enacted in August as the government neared default. The vote on HJ Res 77 was only symbolic because the Senate already had refused to go along. The measure would rescind $500 billion of the August law's $2.7 trillion increase in the national-debt ceiling. Scores of members who voted for more borrowing in August supported this measure.

FEDERAL DISASTER AID: Voting 62 for and 37 against, the Senate on Sept. 15 passed a bill (HJ Res 66) to provide the Federal Emergency Management Agency with $6.9 billion in deficit spending to help communities and individuals recover from recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene, the earthquake centered in Virginia, wildfires and Tropical Storm Lee. The legislation also would insure the continued flow of FEMA aid to victims of tornadoes in cities such as Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala. The bill awaits House action.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Kay Hagan

Voting no: Richard Burr

FOREIGN AID vs. DISASTER AID: Voting 20 for and 78 against, the Senate on Sept. 15 defeated an amendment to offset $6.9 billion in disaster aid (HJ Res 66, above) by cutting foreign aid and other overseas programs by that amount. Foreign aid accounts for about 1 percent of the federal budget.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting yes: Burr

Voting no: Hagan

AVIATION, HIGHWAY FUNDING: Voting 92 for and six against, the Senate on Sept. 15 sent President Obama a bill (HR 2887) to fund federal aviation programs though January at a $5.4 billion level and highway and transit programs through March at $20 billion. The stopgap measure is designed to buy time for settling several major disagreements over aviation and highway programs.

Among those disputes, Congress has been unable to renew the Federal Aviation Administration for a sustained period because of disagreements over union-election rules for air traffic controllers and taxpayer subsidies of air service to smaller cities. Nor have lawmakers yet addressed the fact that the Highway Trust Fund, supported by federal gasoline taxes, no longer generates enough revenue to finance the nation's required level of road and bridge construction. This has resulted in deficit spending to help pay for highway projects.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Hagan, Burr

A look ahead

In the week of Sept. 19, the House will take up a bill to track the economic impact of environmental laws and a continuing resolution to fund the government when fiscal 2012 begins on Oct. 1. The Senate will debate 2012 appropriations bills.

<p>Voterama in Congress</p><p>Here's how North Carolina members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Sept. 16.</p><p>House</p><p>NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT: Voting 238 for and 186 against, the House on Sept. 15 passed a bill (HR 2587) to amend the National Labor Relations Act in a way that curbs union rights while making it easier for companies to move operations to non-union states. The NLRA was enacted in 1935 to establish and protect the rights of workers to form unions and bargain collectively over pay, benefits and working conditions. This bill gives employers standing to shift facilities to right-to-work states or overseas despite the law's stipulation that such moves cannot be a retaliation against legitimate union activity and can be subjected to collective bargaining. The bill achieves its aim by stripping the National Labor Relations Board of authority to order work restored to union employees in cases where courts rule the employer violated the law in moving work or facilities elsewhere to punish legal union activity.</p><p>A yes vote was to pass the bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Renee Ellmers, Walter Jones, Virginia Foxx, Howard Coble, Mike McIntyre, Sue Myrick, Patrick McHenry, Heath Shuler</p><p>Voting no: G.K. Butterfield, David Price, Larry Kissell, Melvin Watt, Brad Miller</p><p> </p><p>CHARTER SCHOOLS FUNDING: Voting 365 for and 54 against, the House on Sept. 13 passed a bill (HR 2218) to fund charter schools at $300 million annually through fiscal 2018. The bill would provide grants for operating expenses and to leverage private loans for building or renovating classroom space. The nation's 5,000 charter schools, which educate about 5 percent of the nation's K-12 students, receive public funding but are freed of many of the rules that bind traditional public schools. In return, they are expected to produce superior academic results and show traditional schools a model for improvement.</p><p>A yes vote was to pass the bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Jones, Price, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller</p><p> </p><p>GREEN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION: Voting 195 for and 220 against, the House on Sept. 13 refused to promote green practices and materials in the building and renovating of charter schools. The non-binding amendment to HR 2218 (above) called upon the Department of Education to give preference to applications from states that use tax incentives and other policies to encourage green construction in school systems.</p><p>A yes vote backed the amendment.</p><p>Voting yes: Butterfield, Jones, Price, McIntyre, Kissell, Shuler, Watt, Miller</p><p>Voting no: Ellmers, Foxx, Coble, Myrick, McHenry</p><p> </p><p>DEBT-LIMIT REVISITED: By a tally of 232 for and 186 against, members on Sept. 14 voted to rescind some of the new U.S. borrowing authority that Congress and President Obama enacted in August as the government neared default. The vote on HJ Res 77 was only symbolic because the Senate already had refused to go along. The measure would rescind $500 billion of the August law's $2.7 trillion increase in the national-debt ceiling. Scores of members who voted for more borrowing in August supported this measure.</p><p>A yes vote was to pass the bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Ellmers, Jones, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, McHenry</p><p>Voting no: Butterfield, Price, Shuler, Watt, Miller</p><p>Senate</p><p>FEDERAL DISASTER AID: Voting 62 for and 37 against, the Senate on Sept. 15 passed a bill (HJ Res 66) to provide the Federal Emergency Management Agency with $6.9 billion in deficit spending to help communities and individuals recover from recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene, the earthquake centered in Virginia, wildfires and Tropical Storm Lee. The legislation also would insure the continued flow of FEMA aid to victims of tornadoes in cities such as Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala. The bill awaits House action.</p><p>A yes vote was to pass the bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Kay Hagan</p><p>Voting no: Richard Burr</p><p> </p><p>FOREIGN AID vs. DISASTER AID: Voting 20 for and 78 against, the Senate on Sept. 15 defeated an amendment to offset $6.9 billion in disaster aid (HJ Res 66, above) by cutting foreign aid and other overseas programs by that amount. Foreign aid accounts for about 1 percent of the federal budget.</p><p>A yes vote backed the amendment.</p><p>Voting yes: Burr</p><p>Voting no: Hagan</p><p> </p><p>AVIATION, HIGHWAY FUNDING: Voting 92 for and six against, the Senate on Sept. 15 sent President Obama a bill (HR 2887) to fund federal aviation programs though January at a $5.4 billion level and highway and transit programs through March at $20 billion. The stopgap measure is designed to buy time for settling several major disagreements over aviation and highway programs.</p><p>Among those disputes, Congress has been unable to renew the Federal Aviation Administration for a sustained period because of disagreements over union-election rules for air traffic controllers and taxpayer subsidies of air service to smaller cities. Nor have lawmakers yet addressed the fact that the Highway Trust Fund, supported by federal gasoline taxes, no longer generates enough revenue to finance the nation's required level of road and bridge construction. This has resulted in deficit spending to help pay for highway projects.</p><p>A yes vote was to pass the bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Hagan, Burr</p><p>A look ahead</p><p>In the week of Sept. 19, the House will take up a bill to track the economic impact of environmental laws and a continuing resolution to fund the government when fiscal 2012 begins on Oct. 1. The Senate will debate 2012 appropriations bills.</p>